


just believe you can be who you want to be

by nosecoffee



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alana works at discount Papa John's, Connor Lives, Evan tips generously, Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Pizza, Pizza Delivery Guy Connor, The Author Regrets Nothing, and is very proud, mental health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 06:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10871334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosecoffee/pseuds/nosecoffee
Summary: "I don't think so." He says, blowing a strand of hair out of his eye. "I'm not looking for a job." She hands him the change and raises an eyebrow."I just got promoted to manager. It's my job to persuade kids to join my pizza cult." She smiles, and her glasses glint in the light. "Think about it?" Connor purses his lips and then shrugs.





	just believe you can be who you want to be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [howboutinotdothis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/howboutinotdothis/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Nine Dollar Tip](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10865607) by [howboutinotdothis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/howboutinotdothis/pseuds/howboutinotdothis). 



> Title (obviously) from 'Sincerely, Me' from Dear Evan Hansen
> 
> I guess this is me making up for my last fic? Sorry?
> 
> I just really loved the idea of Connor being a pizza delivery guy. Probably ooc (but what Connor isn't?)

Working at his towns discount Papa John's was actually not on the agenda when he first stepped into the place. He was there to pick up Zoe's specialised pizza (apparently they couldn't deliver those, for some weird reason, and he didn't like their delivery services, anyway) because his mom had taken a load off, his dad was late at the office again (doing god knows what, his firm hadn't had a major project in months), and Zoe had beaten him at rock-paper-scissors (and she claimed that the specific mix of ingredients granted the consumer endless energy to waste on homework) (he didn't believe that one bit, but he wasn't about to tell her that).

"Hi, can I help you?" It takes Connor a second to recognise Alana Beck, behind the counter, but, when he does, he tries to smile a little.

Doesn't think he does a very good job, but that's not the point. "Uh, hi, I'm here to pick up the Murphy order."

"Gotcha." Alana spun around and pulled three pizza boxes off the shelf and scanned the receipt. "Paid online." She hums and sets them down on the counter.

"Yep." Connor nods to her.

"Okay, you're good to go then." She slides them towards him and he picks them up before looking inquisitively over her shoulder.

"Can I grab a Coke and a lemonade as well?" Alana raises an eyebrow.

"Sure, you got the money for it?" She puffs out her cheeks and Connor rolls his eyes, pulling out a ten for her to see.

"D'you reckon I'd ask for anything if I didn't have money?" He replies in almost the same tone.

"Fair." Alana turns to fish the drinks from the fridge. "Hey, why'd you pick up, instead of just ordering in?"

Connor shrugs, setting the pizzas back down on the counter, lest he drop them. "Always takes too long. I figure going to pick it up myself takes less time."

"It's just because our delivery guy is always swamped." Alana informs him, matter-of-factly, returning with the drinks. "He has to ride around town delivering pizza as fast as he can, and he can only fit a certain amount of pizza boxes onto the back of his bike."

"He's on a bike." Connor laughs a little. "Well, that makes no sense at all."

"We're running low on staff. Maybe you could apply?" Connor hands her the ten and she rings it up, as he takes the drinks.

"I don't think so." He says, blowing a strand of hair out of his eye. "I'm not looking for a job." She hands him the change and raises an eyebrow.

"I just got promoted to manager. It's my job to persuade kids to join my pizza cult." She smiles, and her glasses glint in the light. "Think about it?" Connor purses his lips and then shrugs.

"Sure." The bell tinkles as he exits.

~

That's how he ends up speeding up and down streets, and delivering pizza's, with his hair tucked into a ponytail through the gap in the back of the cap on his head.

Because he let Alana Beck of all people talk him into it.

He's only half-surprised that people are just generally rude to him, not because they know him, just because they're impatient. Sometimes they are nice; he arrives at a house and they might invite him in, or hand over a big tip. He never goes in, just turns them down politely and goes back to his car.

Connor ends up at a small townhouse near the end of a long run, a single pizza in hand (supreme without mushrooms, extra fetta and sun dried tomatoes) and rings the doorbell. Connor frowns and rings the doorbell again. He has five pizzas going cold in his car, and if the person who's pizza he's holding doesn't come soon he's not gonna get a tip at the next house. He rings it again.

Still no movement.

Again.

The door swings open, with a lot of force, but that's not what's surprising. It's the kid who swung it open.

Connor barely controls his expression when he looks at this guy. A little shorter than himself, with short, dirty blonde hair, and a twenty dollar bill in his hand. He thinks he recognises him from school, but can't quite place where.

Isn't he the kid that hangs around Kleinman? Connor honestly can't be sure.

He ends up raising an eyebrow at this guys blush. He looks down at the receipt. "Evan Hansen?"

The guy stutters over an affirmation. Connor hands over the pizza and asks for change.

Evan hands him the twenty dollar bill and tells him to keep the change.

Connor's actually taken aback at this. But he takes it, because who tips like that?

He's not even a little surprised when he ends up delivering to the same house, a few days later. Supreme, no mushrooms, extra fetta and sun dried tomatoes. There's the guy, Evan, again, handing him a twenty and telling him to keep the change, smiling a little, and retreating back into his house.

If this kid keeps doing this, Connor's gonna be rich by the end of the semester.

~

So begins a routine. Two to three nights a week, Evan orders a pizza, and since the guy who used to deliver pizzas works different days now, Connor ends up always delivering them.

Evan always appears alone. Holding a twenty dollar bill, fidgeting with the hem of differing blue polo shirts. Connor smiles and takes the twenty, knowing the look he's going to get from Alana when he arrives back at the store ("He did it again?" She always asks. "Either he hates making change, or he legitimately thinks I deserve it." Connor replies the first time, but nods every other time.)

Evan doesn't speak much. Connor thinks he must hate small talk. Or maybe he's socially anxious. That would explain why he hardly ever heard him speak.

The summer hits and Connor gets full hours, which he both loathes and genuinely likes. It means his out of the house more, away from his father, who seems to actually like the fact that Connor's got a job, and he starts to get to know Alana.

And he keeps seeing Evan.

Sometimes Evan even says 'goodnight' to him. Connor thinks he likes those nights best.

Connor's head clears up. He feels less trapped, less angry, less lonely. Maybe routine was what he needed?

He doesn't know.

A job isn't going to magically cure his depression, but it doesn't look like it's doing harm, at this point.

His mental health dips and climbs, and he has some shit days, but he actually starts to feel happy.

His parents notice. Zoe notices.

Connor thinks it's kind of strange that a steady job improved his mental health so much.

Zoe did always say that where pizza went happiness followed.

Connor just never believed her until now.

~

It all comes to a head on a particularly humid night, and Evan's is the last pizza left to deliver. Connor let his hair out in the car on the way, far from caring what he looks like, because none of the people he's delivered to cared how they looked.

He answers the door and immediately goes bright red. Connor grins at him and hands him the pizza. Evan pays and then glances around. "It's really hot." He announces.

Connor nods. "Yeah."

"Do you want a drink?" He asks.

"I'd like your number." Evan looks taken aback. Connor bring himself to take it back.

"Um...I uh...wow-" he stammers and goes a little more red. His thumb and index finger squeeze and worry the hem of his polo shirt.

"Too forward?" Connor inquires, tucking a hair behind his ear. Evan's eyes follow the movement, mouth open, slightly. He has a nice mouth. Connor drags his gaze away.

"I've been tryna ask you out for months." Evan informs him, and then looks a little shocked at himself that he actually said it.

"So," he prods, cautiously, "you _don't_ want me to take it back?"

"No!" Evan assures him and bites his lip at the volume.

"Oh," and Connor nods that dumb way you do when you're relieved, but too embarrassed to say so, "good, 'cause I would've if you wanted me to, but I didn't want to."

"Well - uh - good." Evan's nodding too. They probably both look like goldfish. Two, awkward, goldfish. "Cause I don't want you to."

"Can I get your number?" Connor says again.

"Can I get you a drink?" Evan shoots back and Connor maybe grins a little, gaze back at Evan's mouth again. He hopes Evan doesn't think he's creepy.

"Sure. I'm pretty much off shift anyway." He accepts and Evan steps aside to let him in.

~

Pizza won't magically fix all his problems, but it's doing a pretty good job of pretending it can. And Connor's actually pretty okay with that.

**Fin.**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this! If you did, please feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos, and hmu on Tumblr @nose-coffee.
> 
> Again, thank you!


End file.
